The picturesque Netherlands absolutely stole my heart, and if I were to pick a gem, of which there were many in this unique country with its pretty canals, historical buildings, vibrant modern cities, fertile farmlands scattered everywhere, and bicycles of course, my heart would choose Den Haag (The Hague) as my absolute favourite city; it simply had something that pulled at my heartstrings.
Den Haag is the largest city in the Netherlands and is home to the official residence of the Dutch royalty, the liberal Dutch Parliament, the Peace Palace which houses the UN International Court of Justice as well as the International Criminal Court. I shared a little about that in a previous post.
Walking through the bustling city centre brought many sights, smells, and sounds. Seeing the weaving of trams, buses, cars, bicycles, and pedestrians, without any mishaps, was quite something!
Of course, there were many coffeeshops, the kind that do not serve coffee!
Shoefiti - the art of getting one's trainers to hang on overhead electricity wires, definitely would be a late-night activity and I can just imagine the yells of triumph when the 'shoefiti artist' aims right ;) It could be a way that gangs mark their territory, or simply crazy fun between friends.
Den Haag is a beautiful city, with typical Dutch as well as ultra-modern buildings.
Arriving at the Buitenhof on a Saturday morning, there was a market day in progress, the same as in many Dutch towns and cities. Cheese, like only the Dutch can make, garden-fresh luscious fruit and vegetables, handcrafts, coffee, and the most delicious pure freshly pressed apple juice, are just some of the products on sale. The craft liqueur tasting table was very popular, we could not even get close enough to taste it, and had to be satisfied with 'Vers Appelsap.'
We were mesmerized by the talented young singer and guitarist, Babette Zwinkels, who captivated everyone with her French and Dutch singing. It was pure magic with the wide canal, the water fountain, and the gracious buildings of the Binnenhof as a backdrop.
Take a listen to one of the songs we listened to of Babette Zwinkels
I must add that I saw a ton of restoration work in progress in many of the cities, as is happening in the Binnehof. The Baroque-style Mauritshouse can be seen on the left, and I will tell you a little about that later.
This 1848 statue of the first Dutch King, William of Orange, who was an important Protestant figurehead, is opposite the Noordeinde Palace.
The next one is the 1852 statue of King William II, Supreme Commander of the army, and stands in the Buitenhof.
There was a major revamping of the Binnenhof in progress so we did not get to see everything, plus time was not on our side!
This obviously is a very popular attraction, and once through the arched entrance, we saw the square and the impressive buildings that accommodate the Dutch Parliament, as well as the Ridderzaal (Hall of Knights).
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While strolling and taking everything in, my son asked whether I would be interested to see the Girl with a Pearl Earring. At the time of writing, this painting by Jan Vermeer, is said to be worth around 100 million USD!
My son duly bought tickets so it was off to the beautiful Mauritshouse, filled with stunning paintings from centuries ago.
I will share the famous and unknown Girl with the Pearl Earring, and some of my favourite paintings in the Mauritshuis in a more in-depth post next time.
We did not get a chance to have our photo taken in front of this priceless painting as it was far too crowded but managed to strike a pose in front of the largest 3D print of this painting, and my son bought me a fun T-shirt of the Cat with a Pearl Earring.
We left this city filled with history, charm and joy, with hearts full of memories. I was smiling like a Cheshire cat, happy to be taking such a fun piece of this stunning city with me!
Den Haag, I will be back!
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